ECB cancels contracts of players signed up for 'The Hundred'

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cancelled contracts of the players who were due to participate in the inaugural edition of ‘The Hundred’ which was pushed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new 100-balls-per-side format, to be played by eight teams in separate men’s and women’s tournaments, was scheduled to be held between July 17 and August 15 but had to be postponed because of the pandemic.

The franchises in the men’s competition had already selected their squads in a draft in October, while the women’s teams were also in the process of completing their squads.

But now with the tournament delayed, the ECB has sent a letter to the players informing them about the termination of their contracts.

“We can confirm that a letter terminating current player contracts has been issued today to all involved,” the BBC quoted an ECB statement.

“This letter is necessary paperwork to legally update and inform players of the situation, which follows a notification last week around the launch of the new competition being moved to 2021.

“We are working closely with PCA on a number of options for players regarding next year’s launch.” The 100-ball competition was postponed last Thursday due to global travel restrictions in the wake of the highly-contagious disease which has left more than 2 lakh dead so far worldwide and over 30 lakh infected.

Due to the health crisis, the ECB had also suspended its domestic season until at least July 1.